After his Aunt paid his exchange student program to the United States to be with her, Van left no choice but to leave Philippines for the last semester of his tenth grade. As a result of a traumatic past, he settled to be by himself and build a wall...
I quite get a hold of myself. I knew that if I utter a word he would take it as a sign to continue doing what he was doing. I just want to get out of here. But this lump of muscle was trying to block all means just to get what they wanted. And when they did, they would just drop anyone somewhere without any remorse. I knew his kind, very unkind.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Name. Your name."
"Not today. I am tired." His brows jolted up and down as his face froze from what I just told him. Apparently, this time, I did not break a sweat making my way out of him and started walking towards the door.
"So what do you want me to call you? Today? Tired? Not today?" Sarcasm filled his tongue. The words were all a form of teasing. He happily jogged behind me and grasped his fingers around the knob before I did, so he could prevent me from entering. I darted a look at him.
"How about—give me this." He looked around and his eyes fell on my hand. His hands quickly wrapped around my wrist, on which one of his were tightly gripping the base of my hand so he would not press against the bracelet. My other hand tried to remove them one by one, finger by finger, but he was just as strong as an orchid root on its host.
"Let go of me. Don't you ever touch my bracelet." I told him. He undone the bracelet carefully so it wouldn't get destroyed. He still got the consideration to gently take my bracelet away.
"I'll see you here tomorrow right?"
"Give me that." I tried to tackle him but he was unfazed by my attacks as if a sturdy tree under a raging storm. I was the raging storm. It was my sisters'. I didn't want to lose it. I did not want it to be with someone whom I just bumped into earlier.
"It's mine for now. We'll see each other again. Am I right?"
"Definitely not." Because for sure, with his look, with that kind of frame, he would be the center of all trouble. Though, I might look like quickly judging him based on his looks but definitely, I could feel, from deep within, that this lump of muscle in front of me would up to no good. So I must stay out before I got pulled into his schemes.
I got used to people playing things like these on me. Acting all up. Acting as if they were interested in what I do, in what I was interested in, or even me. I got fooled once only to be heartbroken in the end. And I could still hear their laughter endlessly echoing in the back of my head even.
"Then, if this bracelet was so precious to you, sad to say that you wouldn't be able to see it again."
"No. Give it back." I tried to reach out. The smirk in his face was wider than before. He lifted his arm up and used his height for me to never get ahold of the bracelet.
"I'll give it to you tomorrow."
I darted him a look. My brows were knitted as if they were glued together.
"Fine. Bring it back here." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Uhm, what about a no?"
"Hmm. What about going back to the gym? There's a nice pizza place nearby."
"Uhm, what about a no?" This time, I used his words as a form of mockery. A grin curled up on the edge of my lips. His left eyebrow jerked up. A smile formed on his lips.
"You try to copy me, pretty boy?" He responded with a smirk.
"Fuck off." I tried to shoo him away.
"Then, you won't be having this precious bracelet." He teased as he put it on. I watched as the beads settled on his skin. Whose sky blues did not match his tanned skin. The face of my older sister resurfaced in the back of my memory and I knew that her smile would turn upside down once she found out that her gift would be in the possession of someone she doesn't even know.
"Fine," I told him, in a defeated tone. "Where is this pizza place exactly?"
"Really?" He asked in such delight. As if a kid whose wishes came true. As if he just got the toy he was asking for and his face brightened up like it was the most precious day to him. For me, it wasn't.
"Can I have my bracelet back?" I genuinely tried to be as soft spoken as I possibly could without showing any signs of irritation to this lump of muscle towering in front of me.
"What's your name?" He asked back. He was about to take off the bracelet from his wrist. My eyes nearly tear up because it was the only thing I could bring here that I treasured the most from my sister.
"It's none of your concern." I told him. He put it back.
"Then, see you tomorrow."
"What? Hand me back that. That's my sister's" I shouted at him as he jogged his way out of the
"Then tell her, to reprimand you for handing this precious thing to me." He teased me. He raised his hand where the bracelet was and started to jog away.
I quickly looked around hoping for no people around to see how horrendous what happened was. I quickly scan the surrounding areas.
I let out a sigh and went inside.
"Who is that?" She asked as she peeped her by the gap the door had after I opened it.
"Just a complete stranger."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The one I was telling you about."
"How's the introduction?"
"Quite irritating." I told her.
"Why don't you give him a chance?"
"Auntie, what do you mean? He already took my bracelet and now, he wants to meet up somewhere." I rolled my eyes and folded my arms in front of my chest.
"Maybe, he likes you." She told me.
***
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